Saurabh Rai began his career stint with Preferred Hotels & Resorts in 2008 as the Director of Global Sales & Development for India and Middle East. Today, he is the Executive Vice President for South Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Australasia for the group. His work entails at least four trips a month over a wide geography, so his travels feature a diverse spread of destinations, time zones, food, and ethnicities. In his personal travels, he has evolved from going solo to travelling as a couple to now packing a family with two kids. In his current avatar, Rai says, “When I think of travel, I think of family, togetherness, and the slow life.” The Rai family isn’t an aggressive activity-seeker and likes to enjoy conversations while on holiday. Hence, their favourite destination is Maldives, for its lack of distractions. But the biggest gains that Rai has made have been on his tougher journeys—“to far flung places where things aren’t as curated, organised, and expected.”